When you ask Hephzibah staff “What was the highlight of the 2019 holiday season?” their answers will humble you:
“Stephan got his forever family!”
“Three boys in one of my families told me they wanted to give presents to their grandparents. They were so happy when we got the gifts they wanted for them.”
“Seeing the excitement on the kids’ faces when they opened the gifts they had actually asked for… it was priceless.”
“One mom was so excited to be able to buy her kids new shoes with the gift card she received. She said this was the first time she was able to take them to the store to pick out their own new shoes.”
“One family told me that they had never had a turkey before, so they were thrilled to get a full Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the sides and dessert.”
For children in the group home or in foster care, and for families in crisis, the holiday season is not always “the most wonderful time of the year.” Yet, there was a lot to celebrate this year thanks to the incredible generosity of dozens of individuals, families, organizations and corporate partners, and the intensive work of staff and our partner agencies.
“For so many of our families, the gifts we brought them were the only gifts they received,” says Sara Feteau, a caseworker with Hephzibah’s Intact Family Services Program. “And they actually got the gifts they asked for.” The Intact Family team works with families in crisis, and they completed gift wish lists for each member of the family. Hephzibah staff then connected with our many donor partners to get the gifts.
Sara shared the story of a single mom and her 8 and 11 year old sons. The mother was soon to give birth to a girl and she had a great deal of stress and anxiety about not being prepared for a newborn and not having gifts for her sons. Thanks to donors, Hephzibah was able to provide her with a new crib, stroller, car seat, girls clothing and everything she needed to get started. Her sons got the Lego sets they wanted and much more.
The one thing 8-year-old Stephan wanted most was a Mom and Dad to call his own. After four long years in Hephzibah Home, he celebrated Christmas in his new home and his foster parents have the gift of a child to love. “This is just how it should happen,” says Debbie Pontrelli, assistant director of the group home. “Stephan got his forever family and forever home. The couple loves and adores him and they have sent us many photos.”
On behalf of all our children and families, Hephzibah sends our deep, heartfelt appreciation to the hundreds of individuals, families, community organizations and corporate partners who helped make the holidays so special. Special thanks to:
- Food Network star Jeff Mauro and his family, the Dupretti Family, the Carbery Family, and the many groups that hosted Sunday Suppers and Christmas dinner for the group home kids and staff.
- The Paramount Group, The Peninsula Hotel Chicago, Carlton Hotel, Gene and Georgetti’s, Vets 4 Vets, and other groups that hosted special holiday events and activities for the group home children, and to the many volunteers for their extra help and support at each event.
- The many corporate groups that collected, donated and wrapped hundreds of gifts for our foster care families, intact families and group home children including Jackson National/PPM America, CME Group Amicus Volunteers, Eli Lilly, Astellas, and many more.
- The Hephzibah Huskies, the Western Auxiliary members, the Hephzibah Board of Directors and the dozens of employees and volunteers who donated their time and energy helping make the holidays special for all our children and families.
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